The invention relates to measuring, maintaining and correcting synchronization between two signals which suffer varying relative delays during transmission and/or storage, and in particular to measuring the relative delay between multiple audio signals and an associated video signal of a television type program which is compressed via MPEG or other compression method for transmission and/or storage.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transmitting and storing multiple electronic signals where synchronization of the signals is of concern. When such transmitting and storing are of a nature which makes the corresponding receiving and recovering of said signals subject to timing errors resulting from differing amounts of processing delays the present invention is useful in measuring the relative timing errors or delays between signals with such delay measurement being used as a meter of quality of the transmitting and storing and for maintaining or correction of relative delays between such signals.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
It is known in the television signal transmission field to measure and correct audio to video timing errors by measuring the delay which a video signal experiences and using that measurement to delay a companion audio signal by a corresponding amount.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,135 by the present inventor shows to compare relatively undelayed and delayed versions of the same video signal to provide a delay signal responsive to the delay thereof and to couple that delay signal to a variable audio delay to cause the audio delay to delay the companion audio signal by a corresponding amount.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,665,431 and 5,675,388 by the present inventor show transmitting an audio signal as part of a video signal so that both the audio and video signals experience the same transmission delays thus maintaining the relative synchronization therebetween.
U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE 33,535 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,355 shows in the preferred embodiment to encode in the vertical interval of a video signal, a timing signal derived from an audio signal and transmitting the combined video signal and the audio signal. At the receiving location the timing signal is recovered from the video signal and a new timing signal is generated from the received audio signal. The two timing signals are compared at the receiving location to determine the relative delay between the timing signal recovered from the video and the newly generated timing signal, thus determining the relative delay between the video and audio signals at the receive location. It is also suggested to put a timing signal in the audio signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,761 by the present inventor shows in the preferred embodiment to encode a pulse in the vertical interval of a video signal before the video signal is delayed. The encoded pulse is recovered from the vertical interval of the delayed video signal. Various methods responsive to the encoded pulse or the timing thereof for the undelayed video and the encoded pulse recovered from the vertical interval of the delayed video are shown which enable the determination of the delay, or the control of a corresponding audio delay.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,483 by the present inventor shows determining video delay by sampling an image of the undelayed video and sampling images, including the same image of the delayed version of the video and comparing the samples of the undelayed image to the samples of the delayed images until a match is found indicating that the undelayed image in delayed form is being compared. The time lapse between the sampling of the undelayed image, and the finding of the matching delayed image is used as a measure of video signal delay.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,261 by the present inventor shows a method of determining the relative delay between an audio and a video signal by inspecting the video for a speaker's mouth and determining various mouth patterns of movement which correspond to sounds which are present in the audio signal. The time relationship between a mouth pattern which creates a sound and the occurrence of that sound in the audio is used as a measure of audio to video timing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,368, a CIP of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,483 shows the use of comparing samples of relatively delayed and undelayed versions of video signal images for determining the delay of multiple signals.
Applicant incorporates all of the above prior art patents herein as fully as if they were set forth in their entirety for the purposes of enabling one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention in so far as the present invention utilizes many elements which are taught therein. In particular, attention is called to U.S. Pat. No. RE 33,535 and the teachings of generating a timing signal in response to an audio signal, and the comparison of a recovered timing signal and a newly generated timing signal at the receiving site to determine the relative delay therebetween.
The above cited inventions often prove to be less than complete solutions for modern television systems and others which transmit or store a plurality of signals for various reasons including for example those problems recited below. In particular, the current transmission of MPEG compressed television signals has proven to have particular difficulty in maintaining audio to video synchronization, and the prior art has particular problems in dealing with such.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,135 compares relatively undelayed and delayed versions of the same video signal to provide a delay signal. This method requires connection between the undelayed site and the delayed site and is unsuitable for environments where the two sites are some distance apart. For example where television programs are sent from the network in New York to the affiliate station in Los Angeles such system is impractical because it would require the undelayed video to be sent to the delayed video site in Los Angeles without appreciable delay, somewhat of an oxymoron when the problem is that the transmission itself creates the delay which is part of the problem. A problem also occurs with large time delays such as occur with storage such as by recording since by definition the video is to be stored and the undelayed version is not available upon the subsequent playback or recall of the stored video.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,665,431 and 5,675,388 show transmitting an audio signal as part of a video signal so that both the audio and video signals experience the same transmission delays thus maintaining the relative synchronization therebetween. This method is expensive for multiple audio signals, and the digital version has proven difficult to implement when used in conjunction with video compression such as MPEG.
U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE 33,535 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,355 shows in the preferred embodiment to encode a timing signal in the vertical interval of a video signal and transmitting the video signal with the timing signal. Unfortunately many systems strip out and fail to transmit the entire vertical interval of the video signal thus causing the timing signal to be lost. It is suggested to put a timing signal in the audio signal, which is continuous thus reducing the probability of losing the timing signal. Unfortunately it is difficult and expensive to put a timing signal in the audio signal in a manner which ensures that it will be carried with the audio signal, is easy to detect, and is inaudible to the most discerning listener.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,761 shows to encode a pulse in the vertical interval of a video signal before the video signal is delayed. This method also suffers when the vertical interval is lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,483 shows determining video delay by a method which includes sampling an image of the undelayed video. This method also requires the undelayed video, or at least the samples of the undelayed video, be available at the receiving location without significant delay. Like the '135 patent above this method is unsuitable for long distance transmission or time delays resulting from storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,261 shows a method of determining the relative delay between an audio and a video signal by inspecting the video for particular sound generating events such as a particular movement of a speaker's mouth and determining various mouth patterns of movement which correspond to sounds which are present in the audio signal. The time relationship between a video event such as mouth pattern which creates a sound and the occurrence of that sound in the audio is used as a measure of audio to video timing. This method requires a significant amount of audio and video signal processing to operate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,368, a CIP of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,483 shows the use of comparing samples of relatively delayed and undelayed versions of video signal images for determining the delay of multiple signals. Like the '483 patent the '368 patent needs for the undelayed video or at least samples thereof to be present at the receiving location.
Attempts have been made to add various timing related signals in television program streams in order to maintain audio to video synchronization. In particular in MPEG systems control signals such as time stamps are utilized. Unfortunately the inclusion of these signals does not guarantee proper audio to video synchronization at the receive side output of the system for a variety of reasons, including the fact that there are significant video delays which occur which can not be tracked by the time stamps.